February 5, 2021 ADVANCE Weekly Roundup

What is white privilege? In some ways, it’s easier to understand what it’s not rather than what it is. It’s not an outright denial that white people have never struggled nor does it assume that everything a white person has accomplished is unearned. Rather, white privilege refers to an ingrained knowledge, often invisible to those who have always had it, that’s distinct from abilities, efforts, or income. That knowledge (or familiarity) allows some to navigate a situation with ease, while those without that prior knowledge struggle.  Today’s edition of the ADVANCE Weekly Roundup comes from tolerance.org and unpacks this “double whammy” term that often inspires pushback. It acknowledges that “white privilege exists because of historic, enduring racism and biases,” explores the history of the term, and offers suggestions for what to do once white privilege has been recognized. This article brings to the forefront a critical concept for furthering diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

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The ADVANCE Weekly Roundup is brought to you by ADVANCE at Michigan Tech, which is an NSF-funded initiative dedicated to improving faculty career success, retention, diversity, equity, and inclusion. These articles are available on the ADVANCE Newsblog (https://blogs.mtu.edu/advance/). To learn more about this week’s topic, our mission, programming efforts, and to check out our growing collection of resources, contact us at (advance-mtu@mtu.edu) or visit our website: www.mtu.edu/advance.

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